Perilous Boundaries
by ReachForTheSky
Summary: To policeman Levi, Eren Jaeger isn't just the name of another criminal to catch. It's the name of a mystery who his student Mikasa refuses to speak about. It's the name of a murderer who has somehow dragged him up to the fine line between love and hate. It's a name that will soon become so entangled in his that he cannot separate one without destroying the other. AU.
1. Linger

**I don't own Attack on Titan or the characters. Sorry for this first chapter. I have a hard time starting stories, but it will only get better from here on out.**

**1- And the Scent of Death Still Lingers in the Air**

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><p>Maniacal laughter shook the air. The shrill, high-pitched noise rang through the alleys of Zhiganshina, unnoticed by the poor town blanketed by the sound of silence. The only person in the streets was a young man huddled in a dark alley.<p>

He yanked a bloodstained dagger out of the mangled corpse of his victim, pausing for a less than a second before plunging it back in. Again and again deep crimson spurted into the air, soaking the man and the worn stone with blood.

A closer look at the murderer and his victim showed a dark-haired figure in his teens standing over a small boy around the same age with golden hair streaked red. His blue eyes stared unblinkingly above his killer's head.

The teen laughed drunkenly as he swiped the dagger at the already dead person in front of him. He dipped his finger in the fresh blood dripping from the body, writing one word in shining crimson letters.

_Thief._

"You… I hope you're happy," he cackled. "Thief, you thief… because of what you stole from me…" His green eyes seemed to glow as red as the blood surrounding them. "I stole your life!"

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><p>The door flew open, slamming into the wall with a bang.<p>

"Don't throw doors open. This isn't a TV drama and you'll only crack the wall," Levi said without looking up from his paperwork.

There was no reply but for heavy breathing.

He glanced up and nearly dropped his pen. Mikasa Ackerman was standing at the threshold, tears staining her face and the broken doorknob in one hand.

"What happened?" he asked crisply, stacking his papers on the desk and handing his apprentice a tissue. She only burst into tears as a response.

He sighed and took Mikasa over to her usual chair, where she promptly collapsed. To be honest, Levi wasn't particularly good at handling wailing females, or handling people in general. Perhaps that had been why he worked so well with the usually composed young woman. She was one of the few people he could call a friend, and naturally he was somewhat worried. He just preferred not to show it.

He busied himself with preparing her a cup of tea while she sniffled pathetically, discarding tissue after tissue on the floor. This roused even more concern for Levi, as Mikasa was upset enough to disregard the consequences of throwing tissues on the floor of _his office. _In any other situation, that would have earned her a week of desk duty.

In a few efficient movements, he gathered up the tissues and tossed them in the wastebasket, handed Mikasa a bottle of hand sanitizer, and set her cup of tea on the table in front of her. By this time she had cleaned herself up somewhat, although her nose was red and tears still threatened to spill from the rims of her eyes.

Levi pulled up a chair and sat himself in it, waiting patiently as Mikasa bawled her eyes out. He wondered what was on her mind - she seemed far too mature for breakups and friend issues, and as far as he knew, those were the only things young women ever cried about.

"Are you ready?" he asked after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence punctuated by occasional sniffles.

Mikasa nodded and blew her nose one last time. "Did I ever tell you about my family?" she began throatily.

"No." Family issues? He'd only seen her parents once, and they seemed like happy people.

"My parents were killed when I was young and I was adopted by the local doctor's family. There was him, his wife, and his son Eren. That's how it's been until now."

"And then?" Levi prompted, already dreading the answer.

"A close friend of mine, Armin Arlert, was killed last night by knife wound. I found out just now," she said, her voice cracking.

Levi stopped short. For someone who had just heard of a friend's death, she was coping remarkably well.

"The same night, Eren went missing." She failed to point out the obvious - that Eren had most likely been the killer.

"I hadn't been informed of this," he said slowly. "Have the others already arrived at the scene?"

"I believe so." Mikasa looked down, lower lip quivering, and Levi felt a rare jolt of sympathy for the girl.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked, handing her a fresh box of tissues. "You didn't have to come here."

"I don't want to go home," she sobbed. "There are policemen there right now, interrogating my parents. They think - they think Eren did it."

Levi pursed his lips. She would have found out sooner or later. Even so, he felt no need to deepen her wound.

"You came here without a jacket, didn't you," he said abruptly. "Hold on."

He returned a few minutes later with a spare coat of hers (she spent so much time in his office, he wouldn't be surprised if he found her underwear in some out-of-the-way drawer) and she was overcome with a fresh wave of tears.

He awkwardly patted her back (there was no way in hell he was hugging her) until Mikasa calmed down.

"Sorry," she sniffled. "I'll be fine in a day or so."

"It'll take you longer than that," Levi said bitterly. "Believe me, I know."

"Sir-"

"But you can cry all you want for now. No one's watching."

Mikasa fell silent and Levi returned to his paperwork. He kept one ear open and made a mental note when her breathing became even.

It was about an hour before the next disturbance: A sharp knocking on the door, which, Levi realized with a start, was still missing a doorknob from Mikasa's earlier breakdown. He got up and quickly made his way over, opening the door to some of his very own colleagues.

"Sorry, I'm pretty sure Mikasa doesn't want this now," Gunther began, "But we've gotta interrogate her."

"We were told she might be here," Erd continued. "Is she okay?"

Levi shrugged. "About as okay as a girl like her can be. She's asleep now, can it wait?"

"'Fraid not," Gunther said apologetically. "We have to have it in as soon as possible. Murder, you know. Top priority -"

"I know," Levi cut him off, not wanting to wait through one of his notorious rambles. "Come on in."

They followed him in and waited patiently as Levi shook her awake.

"Sorry, I'm pretty sure you don't want this now," Gunther repeated to the still-groggy Mikasa, "But we've gotta interrogate you."

She snapped into focus like a switch had been turned on inside her. "Eren didn't do it," she said firmly.

"As okay as she can be?" Erd whispered to Levi. "She's pretty okay if you ask me."

"She was wailing loudly one hour ago," Levi informed him. "I don't know what happened."

Gunther was furiously scribbling down every one of Mikasa's authoritative words.

"Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, I believe Eren is innocent. He was with me all of last night, as we were out eating dinner, and he seemed fine the whole time. There were no symptoms apparent."

_Symptoms?_

"How do I know you didn't just overlook them? Not that I'm accusing you of anything," he added hurriedly upon seeing Mikasa's furious face.

"I understand," she replied stiffly. Levi could almost see the disapproval radiating off her. "However, I'm sure you have heard from my parents that I've always kept a close eye on Eren."

"That still isn't enough to counter everything against him," Gunther said with a frown.

"Eren and Armin were best friends," she spat. "And no matter what labels doctors paste on him, he isn't inhuman enough to kill his own best friend."

Levi eyed the two with growing interest, drinking in every word they said. It looked like Mikasa had left a out a lot when she spoke to him.

"That's your opinion," Gunther said with a frown. "Again, we need solid evidence or at the very least another suspect before he has a chance of being acquitted."

Mikasa exhaled slowly, obviously racking her brains for an answer that fit Gunther's standards. "I'll come up with something," she said finally.

"Okay," Gunther answered, clicking his pen. "You know, we don't have anything against you or Eren. We're just doing our jobs."

"I know that," she snapped. "That doesn't mean I have to like you for it."

Erd chuckled at Gunther's hurt expression; the guy couldn't stand to be disliked by anyone. "Give it up," he said, grabbing his partner's arm. "We might be back later," he called back to Mikasa. "Good luck."

She nodded robotically. "Thank you for your time."

"Well, you know how to conceal your feelings," Levi muttered as the door swung shut.

Mikasa crossed her arms. "I've had practice."

"You know," Levi said thoughtfully, "For someone I've known for almost three years, you've told me surprisingly little about yourself. I didn't even know you had a brother. Is there a reason for that?"

Her dark eyes hardened. "I'll leave that to you to figure out," she muttered. "I'm sure you're up to the task."

"You're okay with me knowing?"

"It'd be futile to try and prevent it."

"Good answer," Levi said, pulling open the window and stopping to look back at his student, "Because I think I already know much more than you'd expect."

Paperwork was now bottom priority. Armin Arlert's murder was all over the news, and the whole police force had at least part of their mind wondering who could have done it. Levi, for one, was currently jotting down everything he knew about Mikasa and her brother.

_**-Mikasa - 21 - criminal law major**_

_**-Eren - ? - mentally disturbed and/or diagnosed with various conditions**_

_**-Likely murderer of Arlert**_

_**-Best friends**_

_**-Disappeared night of murder**_

_**-Motive - ?**_

This, he thought, was the biggest hole: What motive would Eren have for murdering his closest friend? More likely than not, the people assigned to this case had a probable motive, or else Gunther wouldn't have been so convinced that Eren committed the murder. It wouldn't be hard for him to procure this information, but it would likely only reveal even more problems.

It was a mystery, surely, but so much more than that. It wasn't often that Levi's instincts told him something, so he'd learned to trust them. And right now, all of his senses were on high alert. This case spelled danger, for him, Mikasa, and possibly all of Zhiganshina. And the one behind this? He was a menacing force, possibly insane and with a gun.

Eren Jaeger had to be caught, and fast.

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><p>Spots danced in front of the murderer's vision. He hadn't eaten or drank water in almost a day. He didn't know where he was, how he was going to get back, and why he held a bloody knife in his right hand.<p>

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><p><strong>I'm back! I promised a story by the end of July, then I deleted it, and now you have this. I actually planned this out, so yay for me. <strong>

**So here's the way overdone crime fic, though hopefully this will have a lot more layering plotlines than just straight-out action. The main characters will likely be Eren, Mikasa, Levi, Annie, possibly Petra, and, depending on how I decide this should play out, the rest of the main cast from the anime/manga. Also, I haven't decided the pairing. I know it looks like Rivamika, but I feel more like it's going to be a brother-sister kind of thing. But everything has potential here. Your ideas?**

**Also, the first scene is NOT how the whole story will be. Granted, there will be blood, but it's not going to be especially violent. If you watched Attack on Titan without throwing up or screaming, you should be fine.**


	2. Yet

**2- And Yet He Cannot Say**

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><p>Annie Leonheart was a small, blonde woman with a prominent hooked nose and piercing blue eyes. She walked stiffly into Levi's office and sat without invitation in Mikasa's chair.<p>

"You are Annie Leonheart?" he inquired formally. She nodded and replied curtly, "I have been to enough interviews already. You are not directly involved with this case, so please get this over with." She spoke with a quiet audacity, as if she thought no one could strike her down.

"This is a personal inquiry of mine," he continued, not letting her icy gaze slip from his. "I take it you were the boyfriend of the deceased?"

"Yes."

He paused, deciding how to word his next question. "What can you tell me about Eren Jaeger?"

Her thin lips turned downwards in an ugly grimace. "So you're onto it as well. All for the better - perhaps the little monster will be caught sooner."

"So you're not fond of him?"

A faraway looks crept into her eyes, but she seemed to realize and quickly blinked away all emotion. "Perhaps I was, before all of this happened. Do not mistake me, though. I would like nothing better than to see Eren in chains for the rest of his life."

Levi tapped his pencil against the desk surface. "He has mental issues, correct?"

She sighed impatiently. "Is the only reason you called me here to affirm your various suspicious."

"Not in the least. Now if you could -"

"I know," she cut him off carelessly. "He has various mental problems, which I won't trouble you with the scientific names of, including trouble controlling his emotions, anger management issues, impulsiveness, and such. It would have taken him nothing at all to murder Armin, despite whatever that demon of his sister may say."

"Mikasa?" he said, annoyance punctuating his words. "A demon. How so?"

"She's a narrow-minded, obsessive, overly emotional-"

"Alright, I get it, you two don't get along. Although you must be quite something to call Mikasa overly emotional."

"You obviously don't really know her if you've never seen her break down. 'Eren this, Eren, that.' It's revolting," she said cuttingly.

"I see," Levi replied slowly.

"If you're going to act in Mikasa's favor, then I might as well just leave," she growled, standing up abruptly.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," Levi hissed. He strode over to where she stood, exercising his few inches of height over her by leaning over and glaring down menacingly. She barely reacted in response.

"You may have gotten around your whole life bullying people into doing your bidding, Levi, but I can assure you that I'm not giving in anytime soon."

"Don't call me by my first name," he spat.

"See? This is exactly what I mean, Levi."

"You -"

"I what?" she taunted, slipping away from him in one deft motion. "News flash: you're not the king around here."

But Annie had underestimated him, and he saw surprise flicker in her eyes as he leapt forward and trapped her against the wall.

"I don't like it when people disrespect me. Especially in my own office."

He felt her stiffen, and leapt out of the way just in time as a well-placed fist met air where his face had been moments before.

"Enough," he whispered, fury seething in him like cold fire. When she lunged for him once more, eyes alight with a cold madness, he dodged nimbly and attempted to grab her wrist. At the last second, she twisted out of the way and kneed him squarely in the stomach.

Enraged, he staggered to his feet and ripped the curtains from the window. The pole clattered to the ground behind him as he grabbed the curtains and knotted them tightly together.

"Hiding behind curtains? Brave, you are," Annie said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Levi simply clenched his teeth and waited for her to come forward. But she was backed up against his desk, arms raised in a defensive posture. He launched forward, as he knew she expected, and when she ducked, he leapt clear over his desk and yanked open the left drawer. He was just about to grasp the gun that lay there when Annie pinned him down with surprising force. He twisted fiercely on the ground and, in a last-ditch attempt to reach his gun, thrust the curtains over her. Although it was not what he originally had in mind for the lacy fabric, it certainly did the job. Annie was thrown off for a split second, and he snatched the gun before she could so much as twitch.

"Don't move," Levi breathed, pointing the gun at her head.

Annie did exactly the opposite.

She sprinted forward, grabbing the gun and flinging it beyond reach and attempted to punch him. He raised his arms in the same way that she had defended herself earlier. He grabbed her arms and twisted it behind her head. She grunted with pain but did not surrender, instead lashing back with her other arm. He flipped her onto the desk before she could deal any more damage. She slid off it, scattering papers all over the floor, and Levi darted after her.

Annie made for the door, but Levi was right on her heels. She made a sharp about turn and Levi spun on his feet just as the door burst open.

It caught him squarely in the back, and he crashed headfirst onto the floor. Annie's light footsteps came hurtling his way, only to abruptly skid to a halt.

"What in the world is going on?" a low, elegant voice asked disbelievingly.

"Mikasa." Annie's voice had dropped to barely a whisper, but the underlying ferocity was almost tangible.

"Did I knock you over?" Mikasa addressed Levi next.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," he said as he pulled himself up.

Annie was crouched in her defensive posture once more, seemingly smart enough to avoid attacking two trained policemen.

"By the look of it, you two got in a fight." Mikasa scanned the room. "It's a mess. I'm surprised you haven't started sweeping yet."

Levi said nothing but discreetly locked the door behind him.

"Annie." Mikasa's gray eyes landed on the blonde girl. "Care to explain?"

She said nothing but rose to her feet and made her way deliberately towards Mikasa.

"Hold it," Levi, who was still sitting on the ground, said, grabbing her ankle as she passed. She wheeled around and attempted to shake it free. Mikasa stepped forward and trapped her in a choke hold.

"Don't bother getting free," he continued lazily, "the door's locked."

Annie didn't even struggle; it was hopeless, anyway, there was no getting the better of the two black-haired policemen.

"Why don't you sit down?" Mikasa said sadistically, forcing Annie into a chair. "Nice and comfortable," she chuckled, the choke hold tightening.

Levi sat down at his desk. "Well, then, Annie, would you be willing to disclose some information now?"

"You can't make me," she hissed.

"Really?" Mikasa asked mock-thoughtfully. "Then, you wouldn't mind me choking you to death?"

"You can't do that."

"I seem to recall a little incident a few years back -"

Annie's eyes narrowed into hateful slits. "I can't be guilt-tripped, Ackerman. I have absolutely no regrets about what I did to you."

Mikasa spoke without emotion. "Then you really are a monster."

This was a trigger point, evidently, as Annie lashed out against Mikasa's vicelike grip. "You, calling me a monster! I would think you're more than capable of fitting that title yourself!"

Mikasa shivered, and rage Levi had never seen before blazed through every fiber of her being. Her arm clenched, tight enough to kill Annie in seconds, but she had escaped Mikasa before she could so much as blink.

"Still too weak," Annie whispered, a crooked smile stretching across her face. "Thanks for letting me go. I don't think I can return the favor, though."

And she was off, Annie Leonhart who had fought him to a standstill was lunging at Mikasa with ten times the passion, ten times the wish to inflict pain.

Levi grabbed Mikasa by the shoulder, steering her out of the way as she stood shell-shocked and unmoving. He thrust her far to the right and grabbed the gun glinting dangerously amidst the chaos.

"Leave now," Levi muttered, "Unless you want a bullet in you."

Breathing heavily, Annie weighed her options, eyes rolling backwards to catch a glimpse of the cold metal pressing against her temple. She complied as he led her to the door, and unlocked it to shut her outside his office once and for all.

"Eren won't live long enough to say sorry, Mikasa. Watch your back." The words were muffled by the door separating them, but Levi caught them nonetheless. Mikasa had, too, judging by the way she had stiffened bolt upright. After a few seconds, though, her expression faded back into a typical stoic face,

"I'll clean up."

"That can wait," Levi said callously. "until you've told me everything."

"I thought we agreed for you to figure it out on your own?"

"Your situation is much worse than I anticipated. Annie is dangerous and furious; she may very well be attempting to kill you. I need to know why, because the last thing I want is to find your dead body in my office."

"Annie couldn't kill me," Mikasa scoffed, although there was a tinge of doubt in her words.

"You never know," Levi said quietly.

"You are hiding information as well," Mikasa accused. "You keep hinting at events, but never say anything. Is it not unfair for me to disclose my whole life story while you refuse to say a thing?"

"Unlike you, I am not in danger, nor do I have any siblings to protect," Levi replied.

"Annie and I haven't gotten along since we met. That's all."

"Very convincing."

"Why do you want to know?" she challenged. "What's in this for you?"

Levi's gaze dropped, a rare enough occurrence to render Mikasa completely silent.

"'You make decisions in life, and you never know what the results are. You shouldn't dwell on the outcome because there is no way you could have known.' Somebody I used to know once said that to me. I believed it and made foolhardy decisions. I ruined others, and I ruined myself. You cannot say how your decisions will turn out. You don't know whether Eren will return to you, whether Annie is after your blood, how your actions will change your life."

He paused, raising his head to meet Mikasa's deep gray eyes. "But I can assist you in making those decisions. If you tell me your story, perhaps I will be able to help you. If you try and handle this alone, chances are that something will go horribly wrong and I'll have to relive that day all over again."

"What day?"

Levi didn't answer for a long time. Mikasa waited with bated breath, watching the emotions flicker in her mentor's eyes.

"Mikasa, come here." She obeyed, quietly making her way over to where Levi sat slouched.

"That scarf," he mumbled, reaching a hand to the scarlet fabric wrapped around her neck. "Eren gave it to you?"

She nodded numbly.

"If you really care about him, you should do anything in your power to get him back." At his touch, the scarf floated downwards and into his waiting palm. "If you really care about yourself, you shouldn't move."

"And if I care about you as well?"

Levi barely reacted. He lifted up the worn cloth, holding it up to the window and watching the light filter through. "I'm afraid I can't say. I am a selfish person. I don't want to lose anything else." He opened his palm and the scarf pooled at his feet. Instinctively, Mikasa bent to grab it and wrap back around her neck.

"And yet-"

Levi never completed his sentence. Mikasa stood up abruptly, her expression steeled into that of fierce determination - the face of someone who has found a goal and will never relinquish it.

"I'm going after Eren."

Levi swallowed but said nothing.

_This stupid little girl is going to go out into the world and hurt herself. She's going to make the very same fatal mistakes. She will come to you later and sob, "Why?" and you will be powerless, just like back then._

And yet…

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading and please tell me what you think! Any suggestions and criticisms are welcome.<strong>


	3. Thunder

**lol sorry super slow chapter. Levi meets Eren in the next chapter though~**

**And Thunder Shakes the Mountain**

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><p>Zhinganshina was a fairly large city, but just beyond it lay a small mountain range that more resembled hills than mountains. In fact, they're not even officially mountains - the locals just referred to them by their names - Maria, Sina, and Rose were the main ones, but many small hills surrounded them. It was an odd geographic feature, but proved to be very useful to the escapee Eren Jaeger.<p>

Eren's memory was still foggy and he couldn't find his way back down from where he was nestled - a small, rocky outcropping near Maria. He sat in the glaringly bright sun, huddled in a small ball and trying to recall what exactly he had done. He could only remember blinding red anger, and he knew very well the extent of his anger.

People sometimes treated him like he didn't have a brain or senses or anything but anger. He did feel, though, regret and pain and everything else he should be feeling. His anger was just a little part of him, but it had somehow taken over his life.

Eren bit his lip, scratching a circle in the ground and making a mental list of everything he could remember from the recent past. Waking up, still in the dark alleys, and somehow, instinctively, running as fast as he could. He could remember the aching pain and adrenaline, but not what he has done wrong.

He wondered fleetingly where Mikasa and Armin were. They had, without fail, searched for and found him on the numerous occasions he disappeared. Armin especially had stayed ever-loyal to him. Despite what Mikasa said about following him to the ends of the earth and staying by side whatever happened, she had been absent for more than a few days at a time on various "jobs" for that man Levi. The policeman was a thief in Eren's mind - Mikasa was a constant in his life, and this mysterious man he had never even seen had stolen her.

Thief. The word rang a bell in his mind, but he couldn't place it. He vaguely associated it with Armin. Who knows - the blond was probably preaching about the wrongdoings of thieves.

More importantly, Eren thought as the minutes ticked by and his mind got clearer, there wasn't any food around here. He should probably hurry back to the city as soon as possible; he was starving and had probably been gone for a day or more, Mikasa and Armin would be terrified -

There was a quiet rustle and Eren stiffened, glancing around wildly for the source of the sound. He prepared himself for a bear or wolf approaching, but it was neither.

A small woman with ginger hair and warm amber eyes made her way closer to where Eren stood. She smiled nervously and extended a hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Petra Ral," she said in a high, tremulous voice that barely contained her anxiety. Eren nodded, intrigued as to why this woman acted as though he might kill her, and replied,

"I'm Eren. Nice to meet you."

"Right, um…" she began, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Did Mikasa send you?" Eren asked. "To bring me home. Because I will, soon enough-"

Petra looked astonished. "Mikasa?"

"Yeah, my adopted sister. She'll be worried sick, so I should be going."

"N-no! I mean, look!" Petra pointed a shaking finger at the horizon, where gray clouds had begun to gather. "I think we should stay here, there's a storm approaching, and, um…"

Eren frowned. "Wait, do you know Mikasa?"

"Uh, no!" she exclaimed, but her voice jumped an octave and that was a dead giveaway.

"Yeah, right, very believable," Eren deadpanned.

"No, seriously!"

"How do you know her? Are you part of that whats-its-name police force?" he interrogated, ignoring her.

"Um-" She glanced back and forth, as if evaluating how best to escape. "Yeah. I work there."

"There's nothing wrong with it," Eren said mildly. "You didn't have to lie."

"R-right," she stammered. "Sorry."

"So, why are you here, if not to bring me home?" Eren continued. He swore he could see Petra's face whiten.

"Well, Mikasa sent me, but, um, I'll call her, because, uh, the clouds… and storm… you know?" she finished clumsily, her gaze dropping to the pebbly ground.

"Can't we get down before the storm?" he questioned, starting to get fed up with this woman's nervous attitude. "The storm looks far away."

"Well, actually, these storms move very fast, so, why don't we just camp out tonight, I brought camping gear and food, just in case, so, um, do you, um, wanna help me set it up, or um, something?"

"I will," Eren said, "But only if you stop saying 'um' after every word."

"Sorry!" Petra gasped. "I'm really sorry, I'm a nervous person and I suck at meeting new people and why don't we just set up the tent now you can grab that pole unless you don't want to in which case I'll just do it you can just sit down and wait if you want whatever you want I don't really mind any way-"

Her speed had been increasing with every word, so that by now Eren was experiencing something like a bullet train flying into his ears. A sudden explanation of her nervousness came to mind and he rudely cut her off.

"Miss Ral, did Mikasa tell you about my 'issues'?"

Petra stopped short.

"Don't lie," Eren warmed.

"I wasn't going to…! But I have heard," she said ruefully.

"You don't have to be scared," Eren said, offering a smile. Usually, this worked on strangers, but Petra wasn't reacting. If anything, the fear in her voice intensified.

"A-alright, sorry. I'm going down for a bit to call Mikasa. Can you stay here?" she asked, shuffling nervously as if she couldn't wait to escape from him.

"Fine by me." Eren shrugged. "I'm serious, though, I hope I'm not _that _terrifying. People tell me I'm normal most of the time-"

He broke off in the middle of his sentence; Petra had already left.

* * *

><p>Eren's hiding place had been surprisingly close to the ground, and it took Petra only twenty minutes to get low enough to get cell service. She scrolled through her contacts, hitting Levi's name with shaking fingers.<p>

"_Petra?" _Levi's low voice growled from the other end. "_What's going on?"_

"I can't do this," Petra confessed, trying to blink back the tears burning at the back of her eyes. "I can't even talk to him properly, and he's already caught on that something's wrong."

"_You have handcuffs and a gun, so you should be fine. Most importantly, don't let on that you're trying to capture him. Has he confessed to the crime?" _Levi asked.

"As far as I can tell, he can't even remember," Petra answered. "Mikasa said he usually feels regret about losing control, but he's acting normal."

"_Then again, he's never murdered anybody before. In any case, don't mention Arlert or try to bring up the crime. Just lure him back down tomorrow, and if he protests, you can handcuff him."_

"I can't, Levi!" she protested. "He's such a little boy, and yet I'm so scared… I'm not able to do a thing with him, and sooner or later he's going to catch on! I know I'm supposed to have good 'people' skills, but I can't deal with this anymore. Please," she begged, tears streaming freely down her face, "I can't do this."

There was a long pause, and Petra wondered fleetingly if her superior had hung up on her. Then,

"_Alright. I'll be over there within the hour."_

"Thank you," Petra sobbed.

There was a click from the other end and Petra hung up, wiping her face.

_One hour._

* * *

><p>Eren hated it when people acted like he was dumb - like he couldn't tell when people had been crying, for instance.<p>

"Are you okay?" he had asked when she returned to their temporary camp forty-five minutes later, eyes red and face slightly puffy.

"I'm fine," she had brushed him off, and Eren had left it at that.

She continued to baby him, asking gently if he knew how to set up a tent and proceeding to explain step-by-step even when he denied her help.

"I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth. "I've been camping before."

"Right, sorry," she squeaked, and Eren had the overwhelming urge to smash her face in.

His hand twitched involuntarily and Petra stiffened, eyes flashing in fear - and was that… resolve?

_Damn. I messed up._

"Sorry," he sighed, but it was far from enough to convince her. He decides that this lady is a lost cause and proceeds to forcefully stick a pole into the ground.

Petra kept looking out at the horizon and checking her watch, as if she expected somebody to be arriving, but stopped as soon as she sees Eren's eyes on him.

"Would you like dinner? I brought pasta," she said, plastering on a fake smile.

"Okay," he said with a nod, and they proceeded to eat in silence. Sunset loomed ahead of them, barely visible through the slowly approaching stormclouds. He couldn't help but think that they could have made it down well before the storm hit. No matter. He was already on Petra's bad side, least he could do was to avoid her miscalculations.

"So where do you work? How do you know Mikasa?" Eren said in a desperate attempt to make conversation.

"Oh, I work in the same branch as Levi and Mikasa-"

"Levi?" he asked, recognizing the name.

She glanced at him, surprised. "Mikasa's his student. Haven't you heard?"

"Yeah, she told me, but I've never met him."

"Well, he's my colleague… it's nice, I guess," she said, a rare smile illuminating her face. "I love my job."

"That's nice," he said vaguely.

"Are you still in high school?" Petra asked tentatively.

Images flashed in his mind, shouting and flying fists. He shuddered at the memory.

"I was kicked out of school," Eren said in as level a voice as he could muster. "I got out of control and beat up a kid. Mom's homeschooled me ever since."

"Oh," she said, and there it was, that pity face, that oh-the-poor-child face that he's grown to hate even more than the hateful glares and aloof side-glances.

"Stop that," he mutters. "I don't exist to be pitied."

Her thousandth 'sorry' is forming on her lips when Eren silenced her with a wave of his hand.

"Look, Petra, I'm -"

A sudden rustle silenced them both and Eren saw a flash of realization in her hazel eyes. Just as thunder shook the mountain, Levi appeared from behind the rocky outcropping.

* * *

><p><strong>I swear I don't hate Petra. I actually like her but she is just not Eren's favorite person in this story hehhe. I know she is not so annoying in the animemanga, but Eren wasn't a murderer in the anime/manga so yeah. Also I keep writing in the present tense somebody help me.**

**Also, this is unfairly short and filler-ish but I had six tests and two projects this week so it's not like I had much time to write it. I got it done though, and I'm looking forward to next chapter so see you then.**


	4. Hidden

**And the Truth Remains Ever Hidden**

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><p>Petra was gone before Eren could so much as blink, leaving him alone with the man Eren recognized to be Levi. He was small, but his presence was big enough for the whole mountain. Mikasa had shown Eren one picture of her fellow policeman, and the bitterness in those gray eyes had seemed to pierce right through the picture and into his soul.<p>

Eren's heart began to pound and, with the pouring rain blurring his vision, he could feel himself slipping. His breath came out in short gasps and he stumbled backwards into the stone outcropping, sheltered from the rain.

Levi took a step forward. "Eren -"

"Stay away from me!"

"I'm not going to harm you," the officer said impatiently. "Calm down."

It was possibly the worst thing he could have said.

"_I will not calm down!" _Eren shrieked. "Leave!"

"What's wrong?" Levi asked in an attempt to be calming (though for Levi, 'calming' was more like 'agitating'.) "Am I doing something wrong?"

"No!" Eren spat. "Nothing's wrong, I just…don't want… don't come near me."

He met the man's steel gray eyes, sizing him up and pursing his lips. Eren braced himself for harsh words or brute force, but Levi didn't move an inch.

"I understand. I'll be waiting until you're ready," he said. And with that, he planted in feet in the muddy ground and waited.

Eren stared at the older man, surprised by this sudden change in character. But he showed no signs of changing his mind, and so they both stood in silence. Minutes ticked by, and though Levi's hair became soaked and Eren could see him shivering, neither made one move towards the other.

He didn't know what did it, but the tension slowly dissipated between them. After nearly half an hour, Eren exhaled slowly and slumped against the wall.

"It's raining really hard. Come here?"

Levi needed no further invitation; he slid under the small outcropping where Eren was sitting and wrung out his jacket.

There were innumerable questions burning at the tip of Eren's tongue - _why didn't you protest? Aren't you cold? Who are you… to do something like that? _It wasn't just "compassion" or "empathy", like therapists and doctors pretended to have. It was real experience.

And he knew, he could see the pain in Levi's eyes as he had watched Eren screaming for him to get away. Levi had just stopped and waited - he had been scared. Not of Eren, but of himself. Of his past. Eren was sure of that, just as sure as he knew Petra was terrified of him and Mikasa was uncharacteristically late in fetching him.

He knew it was true, but he didn't know why.

* * *

><p><em>He's dangerous.<em>

_He's a murderer._

_Beware. _

The words cycled in Levi's mind like a broken record, but it was like a distant announcement on TV: something that was impacting someone far away, but certainly not him. As far as he was concerned, there were no murderers present with him.

Eren was … not what Levi had expected. Mikasa had spoken of him with such a protective determination, like he was an unruly puppy to be appreciated as long as it wasn't biting someone. They were nearly the same age, yet Mikasa treated him like a young child - as if he didn't have a mind.

And it was this, perhaps, that had made him relent to Petra sobbing from the other end of the phone call, to leave without saying a word to Mikasa. He had felt his phone buzzing with missed calls from her, but he had resolutely ignored them. He knew what Mikasa would tell him - to leave him alone, not to provoke it - _she could handle him._

Except that she could not.

After all, how could someone who babied a boy based on doctor's results be enough for him? How could someone so willing to throw everything aside be able to make the right choice in the end?

At first, it had been about protecting Mikasa. He hadn't wanted her to stray from her perfect life and get involved with this murder case. He hadn't wanted to deal with the repercussions of what would follow… he didn't want her to be able to blame it on herself.

Except that she always would.

There was no other way out - if he jailed Eren himself, before Mikasa could so much as think of setting out to search for him, she would blame him. That was a minor sacrifice he would have to make.

But now, watching Eren out of the corner of his eye, he was coming far too close to having second thoughts. Those green eyes followed him all the way to his heart. Funny how Eren could easily see all the way inside him, yet he didn't see the rusty stains on his jeans.

And now he was stuck in this maze with Mikasa at the beginning and Eren at the end - how had one transformed into another? He barely knew Eren, but he felt for him. It was rare for Levi to feel sympathy, but when it hit him it hit hard. It shouldn't even have been Eren, because Levi had absolutely no sympathy for murderers. But what was Eren, if not a murderer?

There was a gentle sigh from beside him. Eren's intent gaze had strayed from him and refocused on the the steady rain.

"Do you like rain?" Levi asked, the question surprising even himself.

"Yeah," Eren answered absently. "I used to go dancing in the rain when I was really little. But-"

_Another tragic ending_, Levi thought bitterly, _Life really sucks for this kid._

"I got a cold, and my mom made me stop," Eren chuckled.

"...Oh."

Eren apparently couldn't read minds either, because he didn't say anything in reply. After a couple of minutes, though, he spoke up abruptly.

"Mikasa hates water."

"Really?" Levi looked up. "You wouldn't think so."

"Well, yeah, you're not her brother," Eren mumbled, and the flash of childish jealousy in his words could have made anyone smile. Levi, however, only glanced at the ground and continued hurriedly.

"Why does she hate it? I can't imagine she'd ever think it was gloomy."

"Oh, come on," Eren said, an easy grin stretching across his lips. "Don't tell me you've never seen her smile."

"It's a rare occasion," Levi said.

The smile faded from Eren's face. "Yeah, and guess who's fault that is."

"Not yours," Levi replied truthfully. "If not for you, in fact, she probably wouldn't smile at all."

"If not for me, she might have had a chance at life."

Levi pursed his lips and evaluated the situation. He wasn't going to get anywhere by lying now.

"I'm not a very uplifting person, Eren. And in all honesty, it's probably true."

He lowered his head in grim acceptance.

"But she made the choice to protect you. And that's not something that you had any control over."

"I guess so," Eren said disbelievingly. "I can't believe she hasn't come looking yet."

"She's worried sick," Levi said, which was true. "But she has her studies to focus on."

"I was sick on the day of her high-school graduation. Her friends had to force her to come to school," Eren scoffed. "I've never had policemen come after me, though," he added, a note of worry creeping into his voice. "Worst part is, I don't even remember what happened.

This would be the perfect time to gently ease him into remembering, but the words simply refused to leave his lips. His mouth moved of his own will.

"Don't worry about it, you'll come around eventually. And Mikasa's fine - I saw her just yesterday."

Eren bit his lip and curled into a tighter ball.

"She doesn't come around to see me anymore. This is kind of bad of me, 'cause I was the one who wanted her to get a life in the first place, but I'm jealous. She's gone out and found something she wants to do, and I can't find it in me to support her."

"Because you want the same future."

"Yeah, and…" Eren trailed off. "Yeah. Never mind."

Levi sighed. "Have you eaten yet? Petra's food is still outside."

"Yeah," Eren replied lethargically. "I think I'll just go to sleep now.

"Alright," Levi said. "Good night. We'll head home tomorrow."

"Sounds good," he mumbled, and tried to dispel the illogical sense of fear that was settling over him.

* * *

><p>Levi wasn't sleeping that night. The chances that Eren might sneak off were too great, although he didn't think he could have slept even otherwise.<p>

He wondered fleetingly about Mikasa, that blonde - Annie, that was it - Petra, who was probably waiting anxiously for his safe return, Auruo, Gunther, Erd…

_I have too much to lose._

All those years ago, he had sworn never to let people get close to him ever again. He had vowed to always stand alone, because he had already lost everything and he wasn't willing to lose it again.

But of course the world was filled with kind people who had somehow infiltrated the fortress he had built, crossed the boundaries he had so carefully marked. He had resignedly accepted it, repeating over and over that _they are fine you are fine you are safe now - no more of them. It's all over now._

"...Scared… save me…"

Levi looked down to see Eren's sleeping face contracted in fear, tears dripping down his cheeks and splashing softly on the stone below. Levi reached for his hand.

_He's a murderer, Levi._

_How could he have killed someone when even you could not?_

Levi withdrew his hand and stuffed it inside his jacket pocket. He swallowed his guilt and tried to remember the touch of Mikasa's cool fingers, the warmth of Petra's hand -

He grasped Eren's hand tightly in his own and the younger boy's face immediately relaxed. His expression changed to something resembling peace. For a second, he felt like maybe this may be worth it. To let just one more person in couldn't do any harm, could it?

_Stop lying to yourself, Levi._

* * *

><p>Eren shot upright, the soft rustle of his sleeping bag sounding like a gunshot in the heavy silence. Rough, trembling hands found their way to Levi's huddled form, shaking him harshly. The policeman sat up quickly - he had never been asleep in the first place.<p>

"Levi," Eren gasped, grabbing at him like a lifeline. Levi embraced him uncomfortably, wondering what the hell was going on until he felt liquid splashing on his shoulder. He raised his hand to Eren's cheeks to find them soaked with tears.

"I remember."

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><p><strong>Thank you for those two lovely reviews!<strong>

**This was supposed to be done last week but writer's block and stalling. Yeah. Updates will probably be every two weeks now. **

**Short chapter sorry but it would just be awkward otherwise. Also I use way italics too much waah**

**Review and criticize and all that~**


	5. Hopeless

**And to Sing with Hope is Hopeless**

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><p>Levi had once bit his tongue on a dare from Auruo. It had been a proper bite, too, that had nearly made a hole in his tongue. The metallic taste of blood had filled his mouth, and, disgusted, he had hurried the felt the overwhelming urge to spit out whatever was in his mouth - except that there was nothing to get rid of.<p>

Eren was still clinging to him, no longer crying but still clutching Levi's jacket like a lifeline. Just as he reached forward to pry Eren off him, he stood up abruptly and ran outside into the pouring rain.

"Eren!" Levi called, rushing after him and yanking the hood of his jacket over his head. Eren's blurry figure was fading fast into the darkness, and Levi feared that one step further would take him tumbling off a ledge.

Squinting through the rain, he caught a glimpse of Eren crouched over something near the camp Petra had set up earlier. As he made his way closer, notions of what Eren was so fixated on began infiltrating his mind. If he had really just realized that he was a murderer, of course the first thing he would look for was proof.

Sure enough, Eren was clutching _the_ knife in his hand, watching as the rain slowly washed away the traces of blood still on the blade. Levi stood above him, debating whether or not to reveal his presence, but that question was answered for him when Eren began to speak, obviously aware the older man was standing behind him.

"I understand now," Eren said shakily. "Why Mikasa didn't show, why Petra was so scared…"

"Mikasa's absence has absolutely nothing to do with whatever crimes you've committed," Levi insisted. "Had she known Petra and I were going after you, she'd have taken you out of the country before we could take a step out of the city."

"But she's a policewoman!"

"You think that would stop her?" Levi snarled. "More than her job, her education, more than _anything,_ she's devoted to you!"

"_I killed Armin!_" Eren screamed, his words echoing off the rocks. "And she'll still forgive me?"

"She wouldn't forgive anyone else but you," Levi said quietly.

"That's… unforgivable."

"What you did, or what she's prepared to do?"

"I-" Eren stopped, dropping the knife. It landed with a soft _plunk _on the muddy ground. "Neither one. But… I don't want to be punished."

Levi wanted to warn him - _Eren, you know I'm taking you back to be put in court, right? There's no way you will be be acquitted. You are going -_

"To jail," Eren cut in. "I know what you're thinking. You don't have to lie to me any more."

"Let's go inside," Levi said after a long pause. "You've probably already caught a cold."

They trod back to the outcropping in silence, Levi keeping a close eye on the back of Eren's bowed head. As soon as they entered the shelter of the rock, Eren collapsed in a heap on the floor and curled up into a tight ball.

_Isn't he too young for this?_

Levi tried to remember what it felt like to be young and careless, to be free of all worry and responsibility. But all he could remember was the feeling of a knife hilt scraping against the palm of his hand, the darkness and dank smell that he would never forget. That was all. No happiness to be found.

Was it the same for Eren, he wondered? Had he, too, also lived under constant judgement and had to walk in fear of being hurt _just for who he was?_

Red flashed through his mind, and suddenly he could imagine Mikasa, her scarf billowing like a banner of war, standing in front of Eren with invisible swords raised.

No, they weren't the same. Eren had Mikasa by his side unconditionally, but he had no one.

The only reason he was so obsessed with helping Mikasa along the right path was because no one had done it for him. And now Eren… he wanted to make him happy for once, but that wasn't possible. Eren was a lost cause.

He felt guilty even thinking about it, knowing how many people must have given up on Eren as a lost cause, but unlike Mikasa, Levi's loyalties weren't swayed. Eren had killed Armin, and however much it hurt him, he was going to jail. Unfortunately for Levi, he had seen what jail did to people. It was perhaps the only thing that made him so… soft, so gentle and calm now. Least he could do was give the boy a bit of comfort.

And yet, somewhere in the past few hours, Levi had tricked himself into thinking that he actually cared about Eren. No matter what reservations he had about fair or unfair, he knew that he could not let himself let Eren go.

But could he let Eren go to jail, could he let himself watch Mikasa suffer for the rest of her life? Levi was stuck in between, at the fork of a road once again.

Unlike before, the decision he made wouldn't just affect him. Mikasa, Eren, and Annie's lives all depended on him. Annie he didn't much care for, but Eren and Mikasa? If it came to them and him, he would probably choose himself, but if it was them and jail, how far would he be willing to go for them?

Levi was usually a decisive person - this "wavering" between choices had never appealed to him, and never would. He wanted desperately to choose right here and now, _jail or no jail,_ but try as he could, nothing filled his mind but scarves and green eyes and knives washing away in the rain.

When he had first set out on the mountain as the storm loomed behind him, his decision had been clear - to jail Eren. And then, sometime under the rocky outcropping, he had felt like letting him go. Back and forth, back and forth.

He glanced down at Eren, who, to his surprise, what not asleep. He lay on his stomach, chipping words into the stone floor with a shard of rock that must have been lying around somewhere. He sensed Levi's gaze on him and quickly dropped the stone, but he had already peered over his shoulder at the words.

_Singen wir unter dem Sternenmeer._

German, probably, although he couldn't read a word of the language.

"What does it mean?" he asked. "'_Singen' _is probably 'sing, but…"

"I don't speak German," Eren replied slowly, "but the English version of the song goes 'Sing with hope, and fear will be gone.'"

"Oh," Levi said, and restrained himself from commenting on how untrue it was. He read the sloppily written words again, and for some reason the sound of guitar chords came to mind.

"Eren, sing the rest of the song," he said without thinking. Eren obliged, and he immediately regretted his words.

"_Chairs so close and room so small,_

_You and I talk all the night long._

_Meagre this space but serves us so well,_

_We comrades have stories to tell…"_

This was it, then. The song that Farlan used to sing for him on the streets at nighttime, smiling as Isabel pointed up at the stars that shone above them. Levi would sit silently, watching Farlan's fingers pick delicately on the guitar strings and occasionally glancing up to see the stars Isabel so revered.

"_And it's always like that in the evening time,_

_We drink and we sing when our fighting is done._

_And it's always so we live under the burnt clouds,_

_Ease our burden, long is the night."_

He remembered the day when the three of them had been seized by a bunch of thugs and Levi had swiftly pulled a knife on them. He hadn't been in a position where he could have hurt them much, but the split-second distraction they had offered had given them a chance to run. Farlan's guitar had been ripped off his back, though - idiot hadn't thought to pack it up before they left - and they could hear it smashing on the concrete behind them as they ran for their lives.

"_Just as no stars can be seen,_

_We are stars and we'll beam on our town._

_We must all gather as one…"_

Where were Isabel and Farlan now? He didn't know. He had left them stranded on the streets in search of a better life. After all that had happened, he just couldn't hold a knife or gun in his hands any longer. He hadn't even said goodbye. For all they knew, he was dead.

"_Sing with hope, and fear will be gone," _Levi surprised himself by croaking out the last line. He'd never been a good singer, and evidently hadn't gotten better since the last time Farlan had forced him into a duet.

"Yeah," Eren said. "You know the song?"

"A friend of mine used to sing it," Levi answered. "How did you learn it?"

"Pretty how much everybody learns songs," he said, looking surprised. "I found it on YouTube."

"Oh," said Levi, feeling a bit stupid. "Of course."

"You say it like there's something wrong with it," Eren shot back a little defensively.

"No, nothing," he replied absently, still half-lost in the haze of his past. Eren didn't press it, and so they remained there in silence as sun broke over the horizon. The rain had stopped hours ago, and Levi supposed that he couldn't delay their departure any longer.

"Eren, are you awake?"

The boy's eyes were closed, but at the sound of Levi's voice he blinked awake and stretched. "I am now."

"We're leaving. You'll come quietly?" The words felt hollow in his throat. This was it, then. No more decisions to be made.

"Yeah," Eren said sleepily. "I thought it over. I can't escape my fate."

_Are you sure? _Levi wanted to ask. _There's no going back now._

"Alright," he continued emotionlessly. "I won't handcuff you, at least. If you don't make a fuss."

Eren's eyes seemed somehow darker, as if last night had seeped into him permanently. "I won't," he muttered submissively.

Yesterday was behind him. The words exchanged between them, standing together in the rain, listening to the song that connected them. Yesterday was something he could never return to, and tomorrow was something he had to reach.

Which meant he had to survive today first.

Eren followed him down the winding trail downhill. Nobody said anything. He kept glancing below him, as if he were afraid of rolling down the hillside. Or as if he was afraid of jumping of his own will.

About twenty-five minutes later. when the sprawling town of Zhiganshina was visible in full detail, Eren stopped.

"Eren?" Levi asked, turning around.

"I can't do this," he said, panic edging into his voice. He slowly backed away. "I can't do this."

"Eren," Levi said patiently. "You've come so far. It'll be alright," he said, a painful lump forming in his throat.

"LIAR!" Eren screamed suddenly, and Levi stepped backward. "Don't lie to me and then ask for my trust!"

"What about Mikasa?" Levi continued firmly, determined not to let Eren's words pierce him. "She'll be so worried, and you parents will also be…" He trailed off, seeing that his words weren't having any effect.

"You cared before," Eren whispered. "But what happened?"

"Nothing happened," Levi lied resolutely. "Now come on, Eren."

He stayed where he was, and Levi knew better than to force him. Lying had obviously gotten him nowhere, and although the truth was painful, it might be his only chance.

"Look, I had to make a decision. Whether to send you to jail like a good policeman or let you run away, I didn't know. This morning, I chose the former. I'm not looking back, Eren, and neither should you."

Eren met his gaze for a brief second, and then he ran.

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><p><strong>I changed the summary a bit, the pairing is undecided now. <strong>

**Who has heard the new OST for SnK, So ist es Immer? IT IS PERFECTION. It appeared in an OVA (I'm sure you've heard; it's A Choice With No Regrets) and it killed me. Anyways I wrote this chapter with this in mind. The song lyrics from the chapter are also from it.**

**Also, shameless advertising time - I now have a youtube for vocaloid and hopefully anime covers. So ist es Immer will be one of them, as soon as I can arrange it for piano.**


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